Create Our World

9 days ago, I left Richmond. Well, to be more accurate, was trying to leaving Richmond, but couldn’t catch a ride.

It took all day for my Macbook computer to be “fixed,” (a week later it is back in the shop) so about 5:30pm, I stood on an off ramp near Downtown Richmond hoping to get a ride to Charlottesville.

I made a sign. It was bright orange.

“Charlottesville” With a Big Thumb.

Cars whipped past.

I tried another off ramp, near Staples Mill Road.

The cars whipped past.

As the sun went down, I gave up.

After sleeping at my good friends house, Anderson and Amy, I got up early and hit the road. This time trying to get as far EAST as possible on Broad Street.

At around 9am, I was again on an off ramp headed towards Charlottesville with my sign.

The cars still whipped past.

In a big city, it is hard to catch a ride.

UNTIL, Jason pulled up.

Jason and his girlfriend, Laurel (I lifted a photograph of his from flickr)

He was off to deliver some macaroons to girlfriend at work. She is a French Teacher at a local High school. They have been dating for about a year.

He had picked up these macaroons early morning from a local baker. “Come over before I start baking,” she says, which means before 8 am.

He sneaks them on her computer, while she is at an assembly.

Jason is a Romantic Dude!

“Well, I’ll take you to Charlottesville,” he says. He is not doing much today.

We drive. We talk.

Jason offered me his iPhone; “I know I don’t know you well, but…” he starts. I guess he is getting a new one soon and doesn’t need this one. We make tentative plans to send it to me in Jersey.

We couldn’t find parking when we got to Charlottesville. We drove around awhile.

Jason had ideas to get his girlfriend another present.

After finding a spot, we walked around the Downtown Mall and he looked up a place to buy a whole loaf of cornbread.

“Eppie’s Restaurant” in the Downtown Mall is the place.

“It takes about an hour,” he says.

So we wandered around. Charlottesville was hosting the Third Annual Look Festival of the Photograph. “3 Days of Love, Peace, and Photography.”

Jason just loves to give. He recently wrote me an email about how there should be a television program about giving gifts to others.

He is the man and a reminder to me about the fun of giving gifts!

Create our world,

ben.

“For it is in giving that we receive.” – St. Francis of Assissi

Dave and his kids offered me a place to crash in Charlottesville.

So it has been 9 days since my last post!!!

A lot has happened in that 9 days including the fact that my home is now rented to, what seem to be, responsible tenants and all my stuff is either trashed, at Goodwill, or jammed in my car. 

Three days ago, I locked up my doors to my house and walked out the front door, not to return!!! (well, in a year or so)

It was a rainy, mid-50 degree morning.  Chilly!!! To top it off, I was sick.  Green loogee’s and a slight fever were accompanying me as I stuck my thumb out a block from downtown Farmville.

I was headed to Charlottesville today.  A new friend, Anna, had been so kind as to take my, constantly crashing Mac to the Best Buy store there and I was off to retrieve it.

The rain was steady and felt like it was going to be coming all day.  But, I was hoping it would help me snag a ride.  A pity ride!!!

Well, not 5 minutes later and less than 10 blocks from my home, I was leaving Farmville with Eddie.

The Journey had begun!

Eddie worked at the hospital in town, but was an hour early for work so he drove me to Dillwyn.

“Car don’t work so good in the rain.”  It sputtered and shuttered, but kept on.

Eddie was into miracles.  We were listening to a preacher from California on a CD and he could work miracles.  He told me stories of bones being healed, incurable diseases cured, and other amazing acts. 

Eddie had done some hitchhiking himself back in the 90′s.  He has gone all around the country too, spending most of his time in national parks though. 

“There is a whole subculture of people that just travel the country.”

He learned alot.  I asked him what he had learned.

“We are a lot more resilient than we think.”  How all this stuff we think we “need” like electricity, for example, that we can do just fine without it.

When we stopped at the stoplight in Dillwyn, he took a moment and prayed for me.  I felt good about that.

***

Dillwyn has been the scourge of hitchhiking zones for me.  For some reason, it is really hard to get a ride here.  But I was hopeful.  It was 7:20am, so I had plenty of time.

The rain kept on and so did my cold.  I made a sign with Sharpies and a folder.

“C-VILLE”

A couple hours went by and a friend drove up.  Yeah!  Erin Banovitz.  She works at Bear Creek Academy, where I wrote one of my first blogs on.  She wasn’t going my way, just to the local store, but it was good to see a familiar face.

Quickly after that though, a large semi pulls over.

Bo Allen is headed through Charlottesville on his route.

I am happy.

He cranks up the heat for me and tells me about another hitchhiker he had picked up.  The hiker was recently out of prison for stealing cars.

“He had had a rough life,”  Bo tells me. 

Bo gave him money and pointed him to a church in Lynchburg.  The man had cried.

Bo is retired.  But he couldn’t sit still. 

He has traveled the country and he thinks I should become a truck driver to do the same.

Dillwyn is his favorite spot in the country.

He lets me off close to Charlottesville with a wave and a honk.  The rain is still steady and I seek out a place to dry out and sleep for some of the day.

I feel accomplished though, especially under non-ideal circumstances.

***

The next week or so I am going to be relaxing with my family in Somerset, New Jersey, where I hope to write posts on my new friend, Jason, the Charlottesville Photography Festival, where I was interviewed by Bilal from NPR, and how I think the lesson of Impermanence is going to be a constant theme on my journey.

Please keep me update with all of our journeys as well.

Create our world,

ben.

“The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of this life is this: Decide what you want.”  – Ben Stein

Food, Not Bombs in Monroe Park, Richmond.

“The world produces enough food to feed everyone, if distributed equally. There is an abundance of food. In fact, in this country, every day in every city, far more edible food is discarded than is needed to feed those who do not have enough to eat.” – The Food, Not Bombs Handbook

***

Walking through Monroe Park yesterday in Downtown Richmond, I saw a bunch of folks gathering.

“Food, Not Bombs” said a sign.  This group gives out vegetarian food every Sunday in the park.

There was a line of about 20 or 30 scruffy lookin’ individuals queuing up for some grub.  All the food was made by some volunteers in a nearby kitchen.

Check out their website for more info, Food, Not Bombs.

All vegetarian food that was great!

***

Last night, Sarah Weakley gave me a cushy, couch bed to crash on and a belly full of seafood salad and burgers.  Her friends were awesome!  Thank You, Matt, Rose, Kristen, Brett, Daniel, Monica, Jay, Ozzie, Mike, Jennifer, Dave, Chris, Erin, Breshen, Josh, and Carver, keep in touch!

Sarah's Cookout near Cary Street.

Create Our World,

ben.

“The world is full of abundance and opportunity, but far too many people come to the fountain of life with a sieve instead of a tank car… a teaspoon instead of a steam shovel. They expect little and as a result they get little.”

-Ben Sweetland